One demand on the closed-loop control system of a vehicle braking system is the correct adjustment of the clearance (air gap) between the brake pad and the brake disc. In the classic hydraulic brake, gaskets provide for the withdrawal of the piston in the pressureless state, and thus for the lifting of the brake pads. In connection with the electromechanical brake, in which the brake application is effected, e.g., by an electric motor, the clearance must be actively adjusted by sending the current through the actuator in the negative direction. Motor-vehicle wheel brakes operated by electric motors are known, for example, from PCT Publication No. WO 94/24453 or German Published Patent Application No. 19 526 645. The size of the clearance cannot be detected by a braking-torque or braking-force sensor. Therefore, the clearance is adjusted on the basis of a path signal (travel path of the brake pads), e.g., based on a motor rotational angle, which is in relation to the travel path of the brake pads as defined by a fixed characteristic curve. In this context, the exact knowledge of the zero path or of the zero angle, at which the brake pads just contact the brake disc, is important. Furthermore, if the intention is to use only one controller for the braking torque or the braking force, the correlation between the path variable and the controlled variable is crucial.